Understood - For learning and thinking differences | Icebreaker

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Understood - For learning and thinking differences | Icebreaker

Understood - For learning and thinking differences

Understood - For learning and thinking differences

Understood.org is the leading nonprofit empowering the 70 million people with learning and thinking differences in the United States.

20 members

Contact info

Link

understood.org

Members

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Consumer product strategist/builder

Joanna Roses-Ryan, ACC

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Master Your Executive Presence to Accelerate Your Leadership & Career Growth Ever feel stuck, overlooked, unheard, or unsure why you’re not advancing or getting that seat at the table? It could be your executive presence holding you back. Perhaps you’re experiencing: 🔻 Leadership challenges or a lack of confidence  🔻 Communication breakdowns that leave you feeling misunderstood  🔻 Stress, frustration, or burnout 🔻 Inability to exercise your influence 🔻 Missed opportunities for career advancement Chances are, what’s likely holding you back are critical aspects of your executive presence—that powerful combination of character, soft skills and emotional intelligence that shapes how you command a room and leave a lasting impression. Mastering executive presence is key to: ✅ Gaining influence and driving impact  ✅ Building trust, respect, and confidence with your team  ✅ Strengthening organizational culture  ✅ Leading authentically ✅ And advancing professionally With 25 years of experience of coaching top executives, I help leaders like you master your executive presence to lead with greater influence. My proven 8 C’s of Executive Presence framework focuses on strengthening confidence, composure, connection, credibility, character, command, charisma, and communication. Together we shape your authentic leadership style, build your EQ skills, and sharpen your presentation and communications necessary to achieve lasting success. Want to stop feeling overlooked and start leading with impact and ready to elevate your executive presence? Visit www.joannarosescoaching.com to book a call, or send me a DM with any questions.

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VP Marketing | Health & Wellness

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Engineering Leader

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Research, Insights, and Marketing Strategy

Aksana Berdnikova

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Creative Director with 12+ years leading strategic campaigns and building accessible brands and design systems. Recently completed MSc in Disability Design & Innovation at UCL with Distinction, where my research focused on how urban regeneration can better support disabled creatives in East London through participatory design. I specialise in creative leadership that centres community voices, particularly in projects requiring authentic engagement with disabled and underrepresented communities. My approach combines commercial creative expertise with rigorous participatory methods and human-centred design. At Understood.org, I led cross-functional teams that delivered award-winning campaigns reaching 85M+ people and achieving measurable attitudinal change. Currently consulting with Loughborough University on accessible research ethics processes. I'm interested in programme leadership, creative strategy, and community engagement roles within cultural institutions, innovation consultancies, and mission-driven organisations committed to accessibility and social impact. Portfolio: aksana.work Contact: hello@aksana.work

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For years, I thought success meant performing—saying the right things, fitting impossible molds, and pushing through burnout just to prove my worth. It took 20 years of personal estrangement, a decade of professional exhaustion, and finally losing everything to realize that faking it doesn’t make you stronger—it just makes you fake. A tragedy helped me find my way back to my family. During that time, I worked with brands like Disney, Google, Hulu, TED, Airbnb, and Marriott, creating content and programs that have reached billions. I founded VideoOut, an LGBTQ+ storytelling nonprofit, raised $3 million, and produced 500 mini-documentaries across 36 states. Then, I lost myself. I hit rock bottom, and it sucked, but the thing I'm most proud of? I found myself again. I share real stories, hard-earned lessons, and a perspective that will challenge you to see your life, work, and impact in a whole new way. To unlock what matters — from personal transformation to professional achievement. When we stop performing and start being, everything shifts — and life begins.

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Senior Designer

Sean Gilbertson

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Experienced, creative Software Engineer looking for interesting work that makes life better.

Haftan Eckholdt PhD, MS

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AI strategist: think differently about data and modeling, reimagine problems, invent new solutions, and develop new capabilities.